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Final Fantasy Home Page |
Probably the most improved game in today's life, the Final
Fantasy is still the most basic. A simple tale of four legendary warriors
out to unite the four magical crystals while kicking major enemy ass, FF1
definitely shows its roots in the 8-bit era. Active Time Battle systems,
the ability to steal, or even an abundance of dialogue is seriously lacking here,
and when compared to the first 16-bit game in the series ( Final Fantasy IV
), the design is a bit archaic. What Final Fantasy I does have,
though, is an abundance of old-school exploration and level building with updated
visuals and MIDI-quality music. It may not sound like much to get excited about
at first, but once you sit down to play it, one will quickly realize why this
game sold so many copies in the first place -- it's addictively fun.
In addition to the obvious presentation
changes made to the audio and visual aspects of Final Fantasy I , there's
also a number of other modifications that fans of the original may or may not
like. For starters, several item, weapon types, townships, dungeons, enemies,
and even character classes have seen several name alterations (re: the Fighter
is now the Warrior, Black Belt is now the Monk, Sky Castle is The Flying Fortress,
etc), while there's even a few new items all together. Also fresh is the ability
to input several extra letters when selecting your character's name at the introduction
screen and the ability to select a Normal or Easy difficulty level. This choice
is more than one that simply changes the challenge given to your enemies too.
It's also a factor in determining your highest possible level, magical ability,
cost of weapons and goods, and the rate of your level climb. Nice touch.
Other bonuses to appreciate
include: the Memo save function (save anywhere at any time instead of using inns,
but lose your place if the system is reset), a handy dash button (bye-bye slow
walkers!), an in-game bestiary that keeps track of monster types and stats, and
several other informational screens and art galleries that you'll be to use before
all is said and done. All in all, Final Fantasy I is a fantastic representation
of one of the most influential role-playing games ever made, and it's almost worth
the price of admission on its own. | |
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